EP1517077B1 - Hollow plastic product having a connector pipe - Google Patents
Hollow plastic product having a connector pipe Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1517077B1 EP1517077B1 EP20040022053 EP04022053A EP1517077B1 EP 1517077 B1 EP1517077 B1 EP 1517077B1 EP 20040022053 EP20040022053 EP 20040022053 EP 04022053 A EP04022053 A EP 04022053A EP 1517077 B1 EP1517077 B1 EP 1517077B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- main body
- reinforce member
- hollow
- plastic product
- connector pipe
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 title claims description 31
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 claims description 58
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 18
- 238000000071 blow moulding Methods 0.000 claims description 16
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 claims description 15
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 claims description 15
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000001746 injection moulding Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000013011 mating Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 7
- 229920002292 Nylon 6 Polymers 0.000 description 5
- 239000004743 Polypropylene Substances 0.000 description 5
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 5
- 229920006731 PP-GF Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 3
- 229920006817 PA6-GF Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000004952 Polyamide Substances 0.000 description 2
- -1 Polypropylene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 150000001336 alkenes Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 238000002485 combustion reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005553 drilling Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229920001971 elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000000806 elastomer Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000003365 glass fiber Substances 0.000 description 2
- JRZJOMJEPLMPRA-UHFFFAOYSA-N olefin Natural products CCCCCCCC=C JRZJOMJEPLMPRA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229920002647 polyamide Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 229920001155 polypropylene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 229920005992 thermoplastic resin Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007796 conventional method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000002474 experimental method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000002844 melting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008018 melting Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000012815 thermoplastic material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920006346 thermoplastic polyester elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29D—PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE
- B29D23/00—Producing tubular articles
- B29D23/001—Pipes; Pipe joints
- B29D23/003—Pipe joints, e.g. straight joints
- B29D23/008—T-joints
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C37/00—Component parts, details, accessories or auxiliary operations, not covered by group B29C33/00 or B29C35/00
- B29C37/0078—Measures or configurations for obtaining anchoring effects in the contact areas between layers
- B29C37/0082—Mechanical anchoring
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C49/00—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
- B29C49/20—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor of articles having inserts or reinforcements ; Handling of inserts or reinforcements
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C65/00—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor
- B29C65/02—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
- B29C66/01—General aspects dealing with the joint area or with the area to be joined
- B29C66/05—Particular design of joint configurations
- B29C66/10—Particular design of joint configurations particular design of the joint cross-sections
- B29C66/11—Joint cross-sections comprising a single joint-segment, i.e. one of the parts to be joined comprising a single joint-segment in the joint cross-section
- B29C66/112—Single lapped joints
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
- B29C66/01—General aspects dealing with the joint area or with the area to be joined
- B29C66/05—Particular design of joint configurations
- B29C66/10—Particular design of joint configurations particular design of the joint cross-sections
- B29C66/13—Single flanged joints; Fin-type joints; Single hem joints; Edge joints; Interpenetrating fingered joints; Other specific particular designs of joint cross-sections not provided for in groups B29C66/11 - B29C66/12
- B29C66/131—Single flanged joints, i.e. one of the parts to be joined being rigid and flanged in the joint area
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
- B29C66/50—General aspects of joining tubular articles; General aspects of joining long products, i.e. bars or profiled elements; General aspects of joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; General aspects of joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
- B29C66/51—Joining tubular articles, profiled elements or bars; Joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; Joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
- B29C66/52—Joining tubular articles, bars or profiled elements
- B29C66/522—Joining tubular articles
- B29C66/5224—Joining tubular articles for forming fork-shaped connections, e.g. for making Y-shaped pieces
- B29C66/52241—Joining tubular articles for forming fork-shaped connections, e.g. for making Y-shaped pieces with two right angles, e.g. for making T-shaped pieces
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- B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
- B29C66/50—General aspects of joining tubular articles; General aspects of joining long products, i.e. bars or profiled elements; General aspects of joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; General aspects of joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
- B29C66/51—Joining tubular articles, profiled elements or bars; Joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; Joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
- B29C66/52—Joining tubular articles, bars or profiled elements
- B29C66/522—Joining tubular articles
- B29C66/5229—Joining tubular articles involving the use of a socket
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
- B29C66/50—General aspects of joining tubular articles; General aspects of joining long products, i.e. bars or profiled elements; General aspects of joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; General aspects of joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
- B29C66/51—Joining tubular articles, profiled elements or bars; Joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; Joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
- B29C66/53—Joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars
- B29C66/532—Joining single elements to the wall of tubular articles, hollow articles or bars
- B29C66/5324—Joining single elements to the wall of tubular articles, hollow articles or bars said single elements being substantially annular, i.e. of finite length
- B29C66/53241—Joining single elements to the wall of tubular articles, hollow articles or bars said single elements being substantially annular, i.e. of finite length said articles being tubular and said substantially annular single elements being of finite length relative to the infinite length of said tubular articles
- B29C66/53242—Joining single elements to the wall of tubular articles, hollow articles or bars said single elements being substantially annular, i.e. of finite length said articles being tubular and said substantially annular single elements being of finite length relative to the infinite length of said tubular articles said single elements being spouts, e.g. joining spouts to tubes
- B29C66/53243—Joining single elements to the wall of tubular articles, hollow articles or bars said single elements being substantially annular, i.e. of finite length said articles being tubular and said substantially annular single elements being of finite length relative to the infinite length of said tubular articles said single elements being spouts, e.g. joining spouts to tubes said spouts comprising flanges
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
- B29C66/80—General aspects of machine operations or constructions and parts thereof
- B29C66/83—General aspects of machine operations or constructions and parts thereof characterised by the movement of the joining or pressing tools
- B29C66/832—Reciprocating joining or pressing tools
- B29C66/8322—Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L47/00—Connecting arrangements or other fittings specially adapted to be made of plastics or to be used with pipes made of plastics
- F16L47/26—Connecting arrangements or other fittings specially adapted to be made of plastics or to be used with pipes made of plastics for branching pipes; for joining pipes to walls; Adaptors therefor
- F16L47/28—Joining pipes to walls or to other pipes, the axis of the joined pipe being perpendicular to the wall or to the axis of the other pipe
- F16L47/30—Joining pipes to walls or to other pipes, the axis of the joined pipe being perpendicular to the wall or to the axis of the other pipe using attaching means embracing the pipe
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C49/00—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
- B29C49/20—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor of articles having inserts or reinforcements ; Handling of inserts or reinforcements
- B29C2049/2017—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor of articles having inserts or reinforcements ; Handling of inserts or reinforcements outside the article
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C49/00—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
- B29C49/20—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor of articles having inserts or reinforcements ; Handling of inserts or reinforcements
- B29C2049/2021—Inserts characterised by the material or type
- B29C2049/206—Inserts characterised by the material or type being constructed in such a way that the joining between the insert and the preform or parison is avoided
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C49/00—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
- B29C49/20—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor of articles having inserts or reinforcements ; Handling of inserts or reinforcements
- B29C2049/2021—Inserts characterised by the material or type
- B29C2049/2069—Inserts characterised by the material or type moulded in combination, e.g. injection moulded in the same mould before or after blow-moulding
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C2791/00—Shaping characteristics in general
- B29C2791/001—Shaping in several steps
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C2793/00—Shaping techniques involving a cutting or machining operation
- B29C2793/0009—Cutting out
- B29C2793/0018—Cutting out for making a hole
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
- B29C66/70—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts characterised by the composition, physical properties or the structure of the material of the parts to be joined; Joining with non-plastics material
- B29C66/71—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts characterised by the composition, physical properties or the structure of the material of the parts to be joined; Joining with non-plastics material characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
- B29C66/70—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts characterised by the composition, physical properties or the structure of the material of the parts to be joined; Joining with non-plastics material
- B29C66/72—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts characterised by the composition, physical properties or the structure of the material of the parts to be joined; Joining with non-plastics material characterised by the structure of the material of the parts to be joined
- B29C66/721—Fibre-reinforced materials
- B29C66/7212—Fibre-reinforced materials characterised by the composition of the fibres
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
- B29C66/70—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts characterised by the composition, physical properties or the structure of the material of the parts to be joined; Joining with non-plastics material
- B29C66/73—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts characterised by the composition, physical properties or the structure of the material of the parts to be joined; Joining with non-plastics material characterised by the intensive physical properties of the material of the parts to be joined, by the optical properties of the material of the parts to be joined, by the extensive physical properties of the parts to be joined, by the state of the material of the parts to be joined or by the material of the parts to be joined being a thermoplastic or a thermoset
- B29C66/739—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts characterised by the composition, physical properties or the structure of the material of the parts to be joined; Joining with non-plastics material characterised by the intensive physical properties of the material of the parts to be joined, by the optical properties of the material of the parts to be joined, by the extensive physical properties of the parts to be joined, by the state of the material of the parts to be joined or by the material of the parts to be joined being a thermoplastic or a thermoset characterised by the material of the parts to be joined being a thermoplastic or a thermoset
- B29C66/7392—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts characterised by the composition, physical properties or the structure of the material of the parts to be joined; Joining with non-plastics material characterised by the intensive physical properties of the material of the parts to be joined, by the optical properties of the material of the parts to be joined, by the extensive physical properties of the parts to be joined, by the state of the material of the parts to be joined or by the material of the parts to be joined being a thermoplastic or a thermoset characterised by the material of the parts to be joined being a thermoplastic or a thermoset characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29K2023/00—Use of polyalkenes or derivatives thereof as moulding material
- B29K2023/10—Polymers of propylene
- B29K2023/12—PP, i.e. polypropylene
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29K2077/00—Use of PA, i.e. polyamides, e.g. polyesteramides or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29K2105/00—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped
- B29K2105/06—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29K2105/00—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped
- B29K2105/06—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts
- B29K2105/12—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts of short lengths, e.g. chopped filaments, staple fibres or bristles
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29K2709/00—Use of inorganic materials not provided for in groups B29K2703/00 - B29K2707/00, for preformed parts, e.g. for inserts
- B29K2709/08—Glass
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- B29L2023/00—Tubular articles
- B29L2023/22—Tubes or pipes, i.e. rigid
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
- B29L2031/24—Pipe joints or couplings
- B29L2031/246—T-joints
Definitions
- This invention generally relates to a hollow plastic product and its manufacturing method, and, in particular, to a hollow plastic product having a connector pipe, which may be used as a duct, hose, tube or the like for flowing a gas, such as air, or liquid, such as water and its manufacturing method.
- a hollow plastic product of the present invention may be advantageously used as a duct, hose, tube or the like of an air intake system or a fuel supply system to be used in combination with an internal combustion engine of an automobile.
- blow molded products are used for ducts, hoses, tubes for introducing air into an internal combustion engine, a blowby hose for returning a blowby gas containing the oil components that are produced at the engine to these ducts, etc., and components for connecting the bypass pipe to the air intake duct during idling.
- Such hollow plastic products as these ducts, pipes and tubes are often added with a connector pipe for establishing a connection among these components for operating the engine and its associated control equipment.
- blowby gas containing the oil components produced at the engine is returned from the engine crank case to the air intake duct and the bypass pipe during idling is connected to the air intake duct, in which case a connector pipe is provided at each connection.
- ducts, hoses and tubes generally differ in the outer diameter of a main body as well as the diameter of a connection portion depending on the size of a companion component to be connected and a required flow rate, and a connector pipe added to the main body is also required to have a diameter in compliance with its companion component to be connected. For this reason, there is a case in which a connector pipe to be added to such ducts, hoses and tubes which have been manufactured by blow molding is required to have a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the main body of such blow-molded ducts, hoses and tubes.
- Fig. 4 illustrates a structure resulting from a conventional thermal welding process as an example.
- a connector pipe 55 is added to a blow-molded hose 11 by thermal welding.
- a welding area at a welding portion 33 becomes smaller, so that the welding or adherence strength is reduced.
- the design of connector pipe 55 is limited and there is a case in which a desired product cannot be produced.
- the welding portion 33 of blow-molded hose 11 is defined by a portion where the parison is enlarged during a blow-molding process, it becomes thinner, which tends to make it difficult to carry out thermal welding properly.
- blow-molded hose 11 is made of a soft resin material, there may be a case where thermal welding cannot be applied since the hose 11 may become too soft when heat is applied, thereby causing the hose to be deformed.
- GB-A-1408844 teaches to provide a resistance wire at cylindrically shaped welding surfaces and to effect welding by electrical heating.
- JP-A-05278100 teaches to use a connecting piece integrally molded with an air cleaner hose 1 for positioning of a perforation tool.
- a hollow plastic product comprising: a blow-molded hollow main body; a reinforce member having a defined welding surface and integrally formed with the main body; a connector pipe having one end surface thermally welded to the defined welding surface of the reinforce member to define a fluidic communication between the main body and the connector pipe.
- the welding surface is flat, and the top end surface of the connector pipe is also flat.
- the main body has a hole exposed in the defined welding surface of the reinforce member.
- the reinforce member extends around a portion of the outer surface of the main body.
- the reinforce member is integrally formed with the main body by insert molding.
- the blow-molded main body is preferably one of a duct, hose or tube in structure.
- the portion of the main body where the reinforce member is integrally formed is partially increased in diameter to define a hole which is to be exposed in the defined welding surface of the reinforce member.
- the welding surface of the reinforce member is also formed with a hole which is aligned in position with the hole of the main body.
- a clamp structure is preferably formed between the main body and the reinforce member.
- the clamp structure includes a plurality of dove-tail projections provided in a circumferential direction at least at one of the main body and the reinforce member.
- a method for manufacturing a hollow plastic product including a blow-molded hollow plastic main body, such as a duct, hose or tube, e. g. , an air-intake duct, and a connector pipe integrally bonded to the main body.
- a reinforce member having a predefined welding surface is integrally formed on a blow-molded hollow main body as a first step.
- the reinforce member is typically formed from a resin material by injection molding.
- the reinforce member is placed in a mold as an insert, and a parison is then placed in the mold and blow-molded to define a predetermined hollow main body thereby having the reinforce member formed integrally with the main body.
- the hollow main body may be formed by blow molding, and, then the reinforce member may be integrally bonded to the main body, for example, by a thermal process.
- one end surface of a connector pipe is thermally welded to a portion of the blow-molded hollow main body and also a portion of the reinforce member.
- a fluid communication is defined between the main body and the connector pipe.
- a hole is formed, for example by drilling, at a predetermined position of the welding surface and a corresponding portion of the main body, so that a through-hole is formed to extend between the interior of the main body and the interior of the connector pipe.
- the reinforce member is formed generally in the shape of a ring so that the reinforce member extends around a predetermined axial position of the hollow main body.
- the reinforce member itself may have a multi-segment structure, preferably two segments, in which case each segment may be used as an insert when blow-molding the hollow main body. These segments are preferably assembled together when the hollow main body is blow-molded to thereby define an integrated multi-segment reinforce member which is also integrally formed with the hollow main body.
- each segment includes a clamp structure which mates with a corresponding clamp structure of the adjacent segment.
- a clamp structure is also provided between the reinforce member and the hollow main body.
- the clamp structure may be a combination of a dove-tail projection and a corresponding dove-tail notch which mate together.
- a plurality of dove-tail projections may be provided at the outer surface of the hollow main body arranged spaced apart from each other around a circumference of the hollow main body, and a plurality of corresponding dove-tail notches may be provided at the inner surface of the reinforce member so that each dove-tail projection may mate or engage with the corresponding dove-tail notch, which allows to obtain an increased mechanical and intimate contact strength.
- the hollow main body may remain integrated with the reinforce member sufficiently.
- the ring-shaped reinforce member has a welding surface of a defined shape, which includes a hole to expose a portion of the wall, or outside surface, of the hollow main body.
- the reinforce member has an increased flexibility in design so as to obtain a sufficient bonding strength when welled to the connector pipe.
- the welding surface of the reinforce member may be so designed to be larger in size than the outer diameter of the hollow main body, so that a connector pipe large in diameter, that was not possible to be used in the past, can be used in the present invention.
- a hollow plastic product such as a duct, hose or pipe
- a hollow main body insert-molded with a reinforce member having a defined welding surface
- thermally welding one end surface of a connector pipe to a portion of the welding surface and also a portion of the main body, and providing a through-hole extending between an interior of the hollow main body and an interior of the connector pipe.
- a hollow plastic product such as a duct, hose or tube having a connector pipe excellent and high flexibility in design. More specifically, it is possible to obtain such advantages as increased bonding strength and air-tightness at a connection point between the main body and the connector pipe, an increased degree of freedom in structure and design of a connector pipe, and an increased degree of selection of a material for the main body and the connector pipe, in particular the allowability of using a soft resin material for the main body.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a hollow plastic product having a connector pipe which is sturdy and reliable in structure and easy to manufacture.
- a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved hollow plastic product particularly suitable for use in an automobile and its manufacturing method.
- a hollow main body or hose 1 which is formed by blow molding.
- a reinforce member 2 formed by injection molding and generally in the shape of a ring is integrally provided on or added to the main body 1 by insert molding.
- the main body 1 is comprised of a first rein material and the reinforce material is comprised of a second rein material, which may be same as the first resin material.
- the reinforce member 2 may be integrally added to the main body 1, for example, by placing the reinforce member 2 in a mold when blow-molding the main body 1 in the mold. In this case, a parison placed in the mold becomes inflated by blow-molding so that the reinforce member 2 may be integrally added to the main body 1.
- the reinforce member 2 may be of a multi-segment structure, in which case the segments may be so structured to be integrated together when the main body 1 is blow-molded.
- the main body 1 alone may be blow-molded and the reinforce member 2 may be integrated to the main body 1, for example, by bonding, welding or the like.
- the reinforce member 2 is in the shape of a ring, when assembled in the case of a multi-segment structure.
- the reinforce member 2 extends around the main body 1 at a predetermined location circumferentailly.
- the reinforce member 2 has a welding surface 3, which is flat in the example shown in Figs. 1 (a) through (c) and which has a predetermined area for bonding with an end surface of a connector pipe 5 by welding with a sufficient bonding strength.
- the welding surface 3 or a corresponding portion of the reinforce member 3 is provided with a through-hole into which a corresponding portion of the main body 1 extends and thus is exposed.
- a portion of the main body 1 extends radially in the form of a mesa and this mesa-shaped portion extends into the hole formed in the reinforce member 2 so that the outside surface of this mesa-shaped portion is exposed in and flush with the welding surface 3.
- the main body 1 is formed with a plurality of dove-tail shaped projections 2a arranged in the circumferential direction as spaced apart from each other, and the reinforce member 2 is formed with a plurality of corresponding dove-tail shaped notches 3a mating with the respective dove-tail shaped projections 2a, thereby defining a mechanical clamp structure between the main body 1 and the reinforce member 2.
- a mechanical clamp structure is most easily given in the case of blow-molding. Described more in detail in this respect, in the case of providing such a mechanical clamp structure by blow molding, it is only necessary to provide the dove-tail notches 3a when fabricating the reinforce member 2 by injection molding.
- the welding surface 3 has a size in the radial direction of the main body 1 that is larger than the outer diameter of the main body 1, so that the welding surface 3 contributes to provide an increased bonding strength when the connector pipe 5 is welded thereto.
- Figs. 2 (a) and (b) illustrate the welding step of the present invention. That is, Fig. 2 (a) shows the state before a top end surface 5a of the connector pipe 5 is thermally welded to the welding surface 3 and Fig. 2 (b) shows the state after the top end surface 5a of the connector pipe 5 has been thermally welded to the welding surface 3.
- the diameter of the through-hole formed in the welding surface 3 is larger than the inner diameter of the connector pipe 5.
- the top end surface 5a of the connector pipe 5 is in contact not only with the welding surface 3 but also with an outer peripheral portion of the mesa-shaped portion 4 of the main body 1.
- the top end surface 5a becomes welded not only to the welding surface 3, but also to the outer peripheral portion of the mesa-shaped portion 4 of the main body 1. This is particularly advantageous in providing an increased bonding strength and an air-tight or sealing structure.
- Fig. 3 (a) is a schematic illustration showing partly in cross section a completed hollow plastic product having a connector pipe constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention and Fig. 3 (b) shows an enlarged view of the circled section in Fig. 3 (a).
- Fig. 3 (a) after the connector pipe 5 has been thermally welded to the welding surface 3 as shown in Fig. 2 (b), the mesa-shaped portion 4 of the main body 1 has been removed, for example, by drilling to define a through-hole or communication port 6 which established a fluidic communication between the interior of the main body 1 and the interior of the connector pipe 5.
- Fig. 3 (a) is a schematic illustration showing partly in cross section a completed hollow plastic product having a connector pipe constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention and Fig. 3 (b) shows an enlarged view of the circled section in Fig. 3 (a).
- the mesa-shaped portion 4 of the main body 1 has been removed, for example, by drilling to define a through-hole
- a remaining outer peripheral portion 4a of the mesa-shaped portion 4 of the main body 1 is thermally welded to a corresponding inner peripheral portion of the top end surface 5a of the connector pipe 5 to thereby define an air-tightness enhanced welded film section 7.
- the welding surface 3 of the reinforce member 2 is thermally welded to the remaining section of the top end surface 5a of the connector pipe 5 to thereby define a welding strength enhanced welded film section 8 which is contiguous with the air-tightness enhanced welded film section 7.
- any combination of materials for the main body 1, reinforce member 2 and connector pipe 5 may be selected as long as it is a thermoplastic material
- an example of such a combination as shown in Table 1 above includes PP for the main body 1, PP-GF for the reinforce member 2 and TPO for the connector pipe 5 and another example as shown in Table 2 above includes TPAE for the main body 1, PA6 for the reinforce member 2 and TPAE for the connector pipe 5.
- PBT hard resin
- TPEE soft resin
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Description
- This invention generally relates to a hollow plastic product and its manufacturing method, and, in particular, to a hollow plastic product having a connector pipe, which may be used as a duct, hose, tube or the like for flowing a gas, such as air, or liquid, such as water and its manufacturing method. In particular, a hollow plastic product of the present invention may be advantageously used as a duct, hose, tube or the like of an air intake system or a fuel supply system to be used in combination with an internal combustion engine of an automobile.
- Among the components of an air intake system of an automobile, blow molded products are used for ducts, hoses, tubes for introducing air into an internal combustion engine, a blowby hose for returning a blowby gas containing the oil components that are produced at the engine to these ducts, etc., and components for connecting the bypass pipe to the air intake duct during idling. Such hollow plastic products as these ducts, pipes and tubes are often added with a connector pipe for establishing a connection among these components for operating the engine and its associated control equipment. For example, it is so structured that the blowby gas containing the oil components produced at the engine is returned from the engine crank case to the air intake duct and the bypass pipe during idling is connected to the air intake duct, in which case a connector pipe is provided at each connection.
- Heretofore, in the case of adding a connector pipe having such a function to a blow-molded hollow product, a connector pipe molded by injection molding was used as an insert in molding, or a connector pipe was thermally welded afterwards. In particular, in the case where the adherence provided by insert molding is poor and a required air-tightness cannot be attained, use was made of a method of welding a connector pipe to a blow-molded product.
- These ducts, hoses and tubes generally differ in the outer diameter of a main body as well as the diameter of a connection portion depending on the size of a companion component to be connected and a required flow rate, and a connector pipe added to the main body is also required to have a diameter in compliance with its companion component to be connected. For this reason, there is a case in which a connector pipe to be added to such ducts, hoses and tubes which have been manufactured by blow molding is required to have a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the main body of such blow-molded ducts, hoses and tubes.
- It is, of course, possible to mold such ducts, hoses and tubes with a portion, to which a connector pipe having a larger diameter to be added, partially increased in outer diameter when blow molding. However, when such a portion of partially increased in outer diameter is formed by blow molding, the blow-up rate of a parison, i.e., a cylinder of a molten resin, supplied at the time of molding increases so that the thickness of that portion of the main body becomes smaller than the rest. In this manner, since such a blow-molded portion which has been increased in outer diameter becomes thinner, if, for example, a connector pipe is to be added to that portion by insert molding, the adherence strength of the insert becomes poor so that there is an increased chance for the insert to be disassembled, or, in some cases, the parison, when blown up, breaks to thereby form a hole. In addition, in the case of adding a connector pipe by thermal welding, a thin portion of a blow-molded product may become so deformed due to the heat at a melting step of thermal welding that it is impossible to complete the thermal welding.
- Besides, there is a case in which flexibility is required for blow-molded ducts, hoses and tubes. In this case, since use is made of a soft resin in forming a main body to be blow molded, if a connector pipe is to be added to such a flexible duct, hose or a tube, it will easily fall off because of poor adherence strength if added by insert molding, and thermal welding cannot be used because the flexible blow-molded main body would become softer and deform undesirably during the pressure bonding stage of thermal welding.
- In such conventional methods as described above, if a connector pipe was added to a blow-molded hollow product of a duct, pipe or tube, in particular, both comparable in diameter, the portion of the product to which the connector pipe was added became thinner, so that such problems as reductions of adherence strength, formation of holes and incapability of using thermal welding were brought about. The structure and size of a connector pipe to be added to a blow-molded hollow product was limited. Moreover, in the case of a blow-molded duct, hose or tube having flexibility, since the main body of such a product was made of a soft resin, there was a disadvantage of poor adherence strength of a connector pipe when added and there was also a problem of incapability of using thermal welding because the main body became too soft when heat was added during thermal welding. Thus, the material to be used for the main body was also limited.
- Fig. 4 illustrates a structure resulting from a conventional thermal welding process as an example. As shown, a
connector pipe 55 is added to a blow-moldedhose 11 by thermal welding. In this case, however, if the diameter ofconnector pipe 55 is larger, a welding area at awelding portion 33 becomes smaller, so that the welding or adherence strength is reduced. Thus, the design ofconnector pipe 55 is limited and there is a case in which a desired product cannot be produced. In addition, since thewelding portion 33 of blow-moldedhose 11 is defined by a portion where the parison is enlarged during a blow-molding process, it becomes thinner, which tends to make it difficult to carry out thermal welding properly. - Furthermore, if the blow-molded
hose 11 is made of a soft resin material, there may be a case where thermal welding cannot be applied since thehose 11 may become too soft when heat is applied, thereby causing the hose to be deformed. - GB-A-1408844 teaches to provide a resistance wire at cylindrically shaped welding surfaces and to effect welding by electrical heating. JP-A-05278100 teaches to use a connecting piece integrally molded with an
air cleaner hose 1 for positioning of a perforation tool. - In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hollow plastic product comprising: a blow-molded hollow main body; a reinforce member having a defined welding surface and integrally formed with the main body; a connector pipe having one end surface thermally welded to the defined welding surface of the reinforce member to define a fluidic communication between the main body and the connector pipe. The welding surface is flat, and the top end surface of the connector pipe is also flat.
- Preferably, the main body has a hole exposed in the defined welding surface of the reinforce member. Preferably, the reinforce member extends around a portion of the outer surface of the main body. Preferably, the reinforce member is integrally formed with the main body by insert molding. The blow-molded main body is preferably one of a duct, hose or tube in structure. The portion of the main body where the reinforce member is integrally formed is partially increased in diameter to define a hole which is to be exposed in the defined welding surface of the reinforce member. The welding surface of the reinforce member is also formed with a hole which is aligned in position with the hole of the main body.
- A clamp structure is preferably formed between the main body and the reinforce member. The clamp structure includes a plurality of dove-tail projections provided in a circumferential direction at least at one of the main body and the reinforce member.
- In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for manufacturing a hollow plastic product including a blow-molded hollow plastic main body, such as a duct, hose or tube, e. g. , an air-intake duct, and a connector pipe integrally bonded to the main body. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of a method of the present invention, a reinforce member having a predefined welding surface is integrally formed on a blow-molded hollow main body as a first step. The reinforce member is typically formed from a resin material by injection molding. In this case, preferably, the reinforce member is placed in a mold as an insert, and a parison is then placed in the mold and blow-molded to define a predetermined hollow main body thereby having the reinforce member formed integrally with the main body. Alternatively, first, the hollow main body may be formed by blow molding, and, then the reinforce member may be integrally bonded to the main body, for example, by a thermal process. Then, as a second step, one end surface of a connector pipe is thermally welded to a portion of the blow-molded hollow main body and also a portion of the reinforce member. Thereafter, as a third step, a fluid communication is defined between the main body and the connector pipe. In this case, preferably, a hole is formed, for example by drilling, at a predetermined position of the welding surface and a corresponding portion of the main body, so that a through-hole is formed to extend between the interior of the main body and the interior of the connector pipe.
- Preferably, the reinforce member is formed generally in the shape of a ring so that the reinforce member extends around a predetermined axial position of the hollow main body. The reinforce member itself may have a multi-segment structure, preferably two segments, in which case each segment may be used as an insert when blow-molding the hollow main body. These segments are preferably assembled together when the hollow main body is blow-molded to thereby define an integrated multi-segment reinforce member which is also integrally formed with the hollow main body. In the case of a multi-segment structure, it is preferable that each segment includes a clamp structure which mates with a corresponding clamp structure of the adjacent segment. In addition, preferably, a clamp structure is also provided between the reinforce member and the hollow main body.
- As an example, the clamp structure may be a combination of a dove-tail projection and a corresponding dove-tail notch which mate together. For example, a plurality of dove-tail projections may be provided at the outer surface of the hollow main body arranged spaced apart from each other around a circumference of the hollow main body, and a plurality of corresponding dove-tail notches may be provided at the inner surface of the reinforce member so that each dove-tail projection may mate or engage with the corresponding dove-tail notch, which allows to obtain an increased mechanical and intimate contact strength. Thus, even if the hollow main body is comprised of a soft rein material to provide some flexibility, the hollow main body may remain integrated with the reinforce member sufficiently.
- The ring-shaped reinforce member has a welding surface of a defined shape, which includes a hole to expose a portion of the wall, or outside surface, of the hollow main body. With this structure, the end surface of the connector pipe becomes thermally welded not only to a corresponding portion of the welding surface of the reinforce member, but also to a corresponding portion of the main body such that a sufficient air-tight and mechanical bonding structure is provided when a through-hole is formed between the connector pipe and the main body.
- Furthermore, the reinforce member has an increased flexibility in design so as to obtain a sufficient bonding strength when welled to the connector pipe. If desired, the welding surface of the reinforce member may be so designed to be larger in size than the outer diameter of the hollow main body, so that a connector pipe large in diameter, that was not possible to be used in the past, can be used in the present invention.
- As described above, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a hollow plastic product, such as a duct, hose or pipe, by providing a hollow main body insert-molded with a reinforce member having a defined welding surface, thermally welding one end surface of a connector pipe to a portion of the welding surface and also a portion of the main body, and providing a through-hole extending between an interior of the hollow main body and an interior of the connector pipe. Because of the provision of the reinforce member having a defined welding surface, there is provided an increased flexibility in structure and design of a connector pipe, and, moreover, a connector pipe can be properly added or bonded to the main body even if the hollow main body is comprised of a soft resin material. Therefore, there is provided a hollow plastic product, such as a duct, hose or tube having a connector pipe excellent and high flexibility in design. More specifically, it is possible to obtain such advantages as increased bonding strength and air-tightness at a connection point between the main body and the connector pipe, an increased degree of freedom in structure and design of a connector pipe, and an increased degree of selection of a material for the main body and the connector pipe, in particular the allowability of using a soft resin material for the main body.
- It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved hollow plastic product having a connector pipe and a method for manufacturing the same.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a hollow plastic product having a connector pipe which is sturdy and reliable in structure and easy to manufacture.
- A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved hollow plastic product particularly suitable for use in an automobile and its manufacturing method.
- Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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- Fig. 1 (a) is a schematic illustration showing in front view a hollow plastic product including a hollow main body and a reinforce member, to which a connector pipe is to be constructed, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
- Fig. 1 (b) is a schematic illustration showing in bottom view of the hollow plastic product shown in Fig. 1 (a);
- Fig. 1 (c) is a schematic illustration showing in transverse cross section of the hollow plastic product shown in Fig. 1 (a);
- Fig. 2 (a) is a schematic illustration showing in transverse cross section a state prior to the welding step of the present invention;
- Fig. 2 (b) is a schematic illustration showing in transverse cross section a state after the welding step of the present invention;
- Fig. 3 (a) is a schematic illustration showing partly in cross section a hollow plastic product having a connector pipe constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
- Fig. 3 (b) is a schematic illustration showing in enlarged view of the circled area in Fig. 3 (a); and
- Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration showing the structure of a typical conventional plastic product having a connector pipe.
- Referring now to Figs. 1 (a) and (b), there is schematically shown a hollow main body or
hose 1 which is formed by blow molding. A reinforcemember 2 formed by injection molding and generally in the shape of a ring is integrally provided on or added to themain body 1 by insert molding. Themain body 1 is comprised of a first rein material and the reinforce material is comprised of a second rein material, which may be same as the first resin material. The reinforcemember 2 may be integrally added to themain body 1, for example, by placing the reinforcemember 2 in a mold when blow-molding themain body 1 in the mold. In this case, a parison placed in the mold becomes inflated by blow-molding so that the reinforcemember 2 may be integrally added to themain body 1. The reinforcemember 2 may be of a multi-segment structure, in which case the segments may be so structured to be integrated together when themain body 1 is blow-molded. Alternatively, themain body 1 alone may be blow-molded and the reinforcemember 2 may be integrated to themain body 1, for example, by bonding, welding or the like. - Preferably, the reinforce
member 2 is in the shape of a ring, when assembled in the case of a multi-segment structure. Thus, the reinforcemember 2 extends around themain body 1 at a predetermined location circumferentailly. The reinforcemember 2 has awelding surface 3, which is flat in the example shown in Figs. 1 (a) through (c) and which has a predetermined area for bonding with an end surface of aconnector pipe 5 by welding with a sufficient bonding strength. Thewelding surface 3 or a corresponding portion of the reinforcemember 3 is provided with a through-hole into which a corresponding portion of themain body 1 extends and thus is exposed. - More specifically, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 (a) through (c), a portion of the
main body 1 extends radially in the form of a mesa and this mesa-shaped portion extends into the hole formed in the reinforcemember 2 so that the outside surface of this mesa-shaped portion is exposed in and flush with thewelding surface 3. In addition, as best shown in Fig. 1 (c), themain body 1 is formed with a plurality of dove-tail shapedprojections 2a arranged in the circumferential direction as spaced apart from each other, and the reinforcemember 2 is formed with a plurality of corresponding dove-tail shapednotches 3a mating with the respective dove-tail shapedprojections 2a, thereby defining a mechanical clamp structure between themain body 1 and the reinforcemember 2. Such a mechanical clamp structure is most easily given in the case of blow-molding. Described more in detail in this respect, in the case of providing such a mechanical clamp structure by blow molding, it is only necessary to provide the dove-tail notches 3a when fabricating the reinforcemember 2 by injection molding. And, if the reinforcemember 3 is used as an insert to form themain body 1 by blow molding, the parison will be partly pushed into the dove-tail notches 3a while being in a molten state to define itself the dove-tail projections 2a during the course of blow molding. As shown in Fig. 3 (c), it should be noted that thewelding surface 3 has a size in the radial direction of themain body 1 that is larger than the outer diameter of themain body 1, so that thewelding surface 3 contributes to provide an increased bonding strength when theconnector pipe 5 is welded thereto. - Figs. 2 (a) and (b) illustrate the welding step of the present invention. That is, Fig. 2 (a) shows the state before a
top end surface 5a of theconnector pipe 5 is thermally welded to thewelding surface 3 and Fig. 2 (b) shows the state after thetop end surface 5a of theconnector pipe 5 has been thermally welded to thewelding surface 3. Of importance, in the example shown in Figs. 2 (a) and (b), the diameter of the through-hole formed in thewelding surface 3 is larger than the inner diameter of theconnector pipe 5. Thus, thetop end surface 5a of theconnector pipe 5 is in contact not only with thewelding surface 3 but also with an outer peripheral portion of the mesa-shapedportion 4 of themain body 1. With this structure, when welded thermally, thetop end surface 5a becomes welded not only to thewelding surface 3, but also to the outer peripheral portion of the mesa-shapedportion 4 of themain body 1. This is particularly advantageous in providing an increased bonding strength and an air-tight or sealing structure. - Fig. 3 (a) is a schematic illustration showing partly in cross section a completed hollow plastic product having a connector pipe constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention and Fig. 3 (b) shows an enlarged view of the circled section in Fig. 3 (a). As shown in Fig. 3 (a), after the
connector pipe 5 has been thermally welded to thewelding surface 3 as shown in Fig. 2 (b), the mesa-shapedportion 4 of themain body 1 has been removed, for example, by drilling to define a through-hole orcommunication port 6 which established a fluidic communication between the interior of themain body 1 and the interior of theconnector pipe 5. As best shown in Fig. 3 (b), a remaining outerperipheral portion 4a of the mesa-shapedportion 4 of themain body 1 is thermally welded to a corresponding inner peripheral portion of thetop end surface 5a of theconnector pipe 5 to thereby define an air-tightness enhanced weldedfilm section 7. In addition, thewelding surface 3 of the reinforcemember 2 is thermally welded to the remaining section of thetop end surface 5a of theconnector pipe 5 to thereby define a welding strength enhanced weldedfilm section 8 which is contiguous with the air-tightness enhanced weldedfilm section 7. The provision of such contiguous weldedfilm sections connector pipe 5 and themain body 1. - According to the experiments conducted by the present inventors with respect to the above-described embodiments, it has been found that such combinations of materials used for the
main body 1, reinforcemember 2 and theconnector pipe 5 as shown in tables 1 and 2 below can provide excellent results in bonding strength and sealing or air-tightness.Table 1 Combination 1 of Resin Materials(Combination Of Olefin Family Thermoplastic Resins) PP PP-GF TPO Main Body ○ ○ ○ Reinforce Member ○ ○ ○ Connector Pipe ○ ○ ○ PP: Polypropylene
PP-GF: Glass Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene
TPO: Olefin Family Elastomer (Soft Resin)Table 2 Combination 2 of Resin Materials(Combination Of Polyamide Family Thermoplastic Resins) PA6 PA6-GF TPAE Main Body ○ ○ ○ Reinforce Member ○ ○ ○ Connector Pipe ○ ○ ○ PA6: Polyamide 6
PA6-GF: GlassFiber Reinforced Polyamide 6
TPAE: Polyamide Family Elastomer (Soft Resin) - Although any combination of materials for the
main body 1, reinforcemember 2 andconnector pipe 5 may be selected as long as it is a thermoplastic material, an example of such a combination as shown in Table 1 above includes PP for themain body 1, PP-GF for the reinforcemember 2 and TPO for theconnector pipe 5 and another example as shown in Table 2 above includes TPAE for themain body 1, PA6 for the reinforcemember 2 and TPAE for theconnector pipe 5. Thus, it is clear that use may be made of a combination of such materials which could not be used in the conventional art. It should be noted that the combinations of materials listed above should not be construed to be limiting and other combinations such as PBT (hard resin)/TPEE (soft resin) may also be used as long as they can be used for blow molding. - While the above provides a full and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, various modifications, alternate constructions and equivalents may be employed. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.
Claims (12)
- A hollow plastic product, comprising:a hollow main body (1) extending over a length and having a first hole formed in a wall of said main body;a reinforce member (2) fixedly attached to said main body and having a defined welding surface (3) formed with a second hole aligned in position with said first hole; anda connector pipe (5) having one top end surface (5a) thermally welded to said welding surface of said reinforce member,characterized in that said welding surface is flat and said top end surface (5a) of said connector pipe is also flat.
- A hollow plastic product of Claim 1,
wherein said one end surface of said connector pipe (5) is also thermally welded to a peripheral portion of said wall of said hollow main body around said first hole. - A hollow plastic product of Claim 1,
wherein said first hole is located at a top of a mesa-shaped portion (4) of said wall wherein said mesa-shaped portion projects radially outwardly with respect to a center line of said hollow main body (1). - A hollow plastic product of Claim 1,
wherein said hollow main body (1) is blow-molded from a resin material and said reinforce member (2) is insert-molded to said hollow main body. - A hollow plastic product of Claim 1,
wherein said reinforce member (2) is generally in the shape of a ring so that said ring-shaped reinforce member extends around a circumference of said hollow main body (1). - A hollow plastic product of Claim 5,
further comprising a clamp structure (2a, 3a) provided between said hollow main body and said reinforce member. - A hollow plastic product of Claim 6,
wherein said clamp structure includes a plurality of projections (2a) formed in one of said hollow main body and said reinforce member and a like plurality of recesses (3a), corresponding in shape to said plurality of projections, formed in the other of said hollow main body and said reinforce member, said projections and recesses mating each other to define a mechanical clamp. - A hollow plastic product of Claim 7,
wherein each of said projections (2a) and recesses (3a) has a dove-tail shape or an undercut structure. - A method of manufacturing a hollow plastic product, comprising:forming a reinforce member in a desired shape having a defined welding surface formed with a first hole by injection molding;forming a hollow main body by blow molding using said reinforce member as an insert, thereby having said reinforce member integrally formed with said hollow main body and having a portion of said hollow main body extended into said first hole in the shape of a mesa when blow-molded;thermally welding a top end surface of a connector pipe to said welding surface and also to a top surface of said mesa shaped portion; andforming a second hole in said top surface of said mesa shaped portion to be aligned with said second hole, thereby forming a fluidiccommunication passage between an interior of said hollow main body and an interior of said connector pipe.
- A method for forming a hollow plastic product according to Claim 9,
wherein when forming said reinforce member by injection molding, a plurality of first engaging portions are formed in an interior surface of said reinforce member, and said hollow main body partially extends into said plurality of first engaging portions during blow molding to thereby define a plurality of second engaging portions corresponding in shape in a mating relationship to said plurality of first engaging portions so that said first and second engaging portions define a clamp structure. - A method for manufacturing a hollow plastic product of Claim 11,
wherein said reinforce member (2) has a multi-segment structure which is comprised of a plurality of segments. - A method for manufacturing a hollow plastic product of Claim 11,
wherein said reinforce member (2) is in the shape of a ring when said plurality of segments are assembled.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2003322944 | 2003-09-16 | ||
JP2003322944A JP4509515B2 (en) | 2003-09-16 | 2003-09-16 | Blow molded hollow body having connector pipe and method for producing the same |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1517077A1 EP1517077A1 (en) | 2005-03-23 |
EP1517077B1 true EP1517077B1 (en) | 2007-01-24 |
Family
ID=34191276
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP20040022053 Expired - Lifetime EP1517077B1 (en) | 2003-09-16 | 2004-09-16 | Hollow plastic product having a connector pipe |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US7316427B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1517077B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4509515B2 (en) |
DE (1) | DE602004004462T2 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8668111B2 (en) | 2007-02-12 | 2014-03-11 | Greatbatch Ltd. | Containment case with latching handle |
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US6687118B1 (en) * | 2000-11-03 | 2004-02-03 | Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc. | Flat capacitor having staked foils and edge-connected connection members |
US7785514B2 (en) * | 2006-05-18 | 2010-08-31 | Mccarthy Peter T | Snorkels, flexible tubes, mouthpieces and methods |
KR100765185B1 (en) | 2006-09-14 | 2007-10-15 | 일진산업 주식회사 | Method for manufacturing the connector of connector pipe using in condenser |
US20080265063A1 (en) * | 2007-04-30 | 2008-10-30 | Johnson Controls Technology Company | Spray nozzle |
FR2937396B1 (en) | 2008-10-17 | 2011-05-20 | Hutchinson | PIPING SYSTEM FOR FLUID TRANSFER PIPING OF AERIAL OR SPACE VEHICLE, METHOD OF MANUFACTURE AND AERONAUTICAL STRUCTURE INCORPORATING IT |
DE102008059411A1 (en) | 2008-11-27 | 2010-06-02 | Mann + Hummel Gmbh | Plastic hollow part and method for its production |
US8910669B2 (en) | 2012-02-23 | 2014-12-16 | Ticona Llc | Insert for pipe assembly and method for forming pipe assembly |
DE102016107226A1 (en) * | 2016-04-19 | 2017-10-19 | Michalski Saemann Spering GbR (vertretungsberechtigter Gesellschafter: Axel Spering, 52076 Aachen) | Bait box and method for separating a feeding point |
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US3743566A (en) * | 1970-09-24 | 1973-07-03 | Phillips Petroleum Co | Apparatus for joining a plastic fitting to a plastic pipe |
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JPS60168625A (en) * | 1984-02-13 | 1985-09-02 | Ekuseru Kk | Manufacture of hollow molded article provided with composite material and manufacturing device thereof |
JPS6356426A (en) * | 1986-08-27 | 1988-03-11 | Toyoda Gosei Co Ltd | Flanged pipe |
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JPH089192B2 (en) * | 1990-09-18 | 1996-01-31 | 筒中プラスチック工業株式会社 | Manufacturing method of resin pipe for existing pipe lining |
JP3219407B2 (en) * | 1990-11-26 | 2001-10-15 | エクセル株式会社 | Multilayer plastic tube and method of manufacturing the same |
JP2596243B2 (en) * | 1991-03-15 | 1997-04-02 | 住友金属工業株式会社 | Plastic fusion joint |
JPH05318565A (en) * | 1991-11-01 | 1993-12-03 | Excel Kk | Hollow member having soft assembling part and production thereof |
JP2560946B2 (en) * | 1992-04-02 | 1996-12-04 | 豊田合成株式会社 | Insert parts for blow molding |
EP0622579A1 (en) * | 1993-04-05 | 1994-11-02 | Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd. | Pipe joint, method of making same and method of construction using same |
CH687640A5 (en) * | 1994-04-29 | 1997-01-15 | Fischer Georg Rohrleitung | Connection piece for Abzweiganschluesse in a pipeline. |
JP3599799B2 (en) * | 1994-09-21 | 2004-12-08 | 株式会社イノアックコーポレーション | Air cleaner hose with resonator |
US5544849A (en) * | 1994-11-04 | 1996-08-13 | General Electric Company | Swaged wear sleeve and method |
FR2742691B1 (en) * | 1995-12-22 | 1998-01-23 | Etex De Rech Tech Soc | THERMOPLASTIC CONNECTING ELEMENT FOR JOINING PARTS BY WELDING ACCORDING TO AN OPEN JUNCTION SURFACE |
-
2003
- 2003-09-16 JP JP2003322944A patent/JP4509515B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2004
- 2004-09-13 US US10/940,163 patent/US7316427B2/en active Active
- 2004-09-16 EP EP20040022053 patent/EP1517077B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2004-09-16 DE DE200460004462 patent/DE602004004462T2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2007
- 2007-10-29 US US11/978,363 patent/US7678324B2/en active Active
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8668111B2 (en) | 2007-02-12 | 2014-03-11 | Greatbatch Ltd. | Containment case with latching handle |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US7678324B2 (en) | 2010-03-16 |
US20090008822A1 (en) | 2009-01-08 |
EP1517077A1 (en) | 2005-03-23 |
DE602004004462D1 (en) | 2007-03-15 |
JP2005088286A (en) | 2005-04-07 |
DE602004004462T2 (en) | 2008-01-03 |
US20050082825A1 (en) | 2005-04-21 |
JP4509515B2 (en) | 2010-07-21 |
US7316427B2 (en) | 2008-01-08 |
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